RA.634 Acronym

Back in April, Dan Vicente, the Swedish artist known as Acronym, gave his first-ever interview. His answers were sometimes terse, and he didn't seem entirely comfortable, but the exchange did help give a backstory to his music, some of the most affecting techno and ambient of recent memory. Vicente said he listened to extreme metal as a teenager, which could explain the endlessly rolling midrange textures in his techno tracks. Dub techno acts like Fluxion and Basic Channel were also an influence, something you can hear in the vast meditative spaces his music often creates. He also revealed some of the emotions that were channelled into his releases: grief following a friend's suicide, depression that shut him off from the world, anxiety over climate change and the state of the environment. These parts of the interview made plenty of sense. From his early records on Northern Electronics, right through to Burgundy, an EP he released last month on Stilla Ton, his new label, Vicente's music has achieved an incredible sense of emotional depth. "Mu 1," from his first album, is the kind of daybreak ambient track that makes you contemplate existence. "Planetary Boundaries," released this year on Semantica, evokes the feeling of being lost inside your own mind on a dance floor.

We get plenty of that on RA.634. Vicente built this 62-minute session using records, studio gear and Ableton, creating a sonic whirlpool that sucks in ambient, house, techno and broken beats. Vicente describes it more simply: "psychedelic dance music."

What have you been up to recently?

I have been making/finishing new and old music while preparing the next couple of releases on my newly started label, Stilla Ton.

How and where was the mix recorded?

It was recorded in different instances, during a period of about a couple of weeks or so. It was partly recorded in the studio and partly arranged on the road. I used a turntable, a mixer, a bunch of synths, drum machines and effects. Everything was then put together using a computer running Ableton Live.

Can you tell us about the idea behind the mix?

I wanted to present a somewhat current take on psychedelic dance music. It turned out pretty eclectic.

How has 2018 been for you creatively so far?

It has been a very interesting and good year for me, I think that this might have reflected itself on my creativity and output. I am pretty satisfied with what I have accomplished this year so far, but there always is room for improvement.

What are some of your inspirations outside of music?

This list could be very long, but to keep it brief: life and death.

What are you up to next?

I probably have around a hundred unreleased pieces of music, it's a good time to start to find ways to present them to my surroundings. Besides that, I will be playing shows around Europe and the Americas as a DJ and live musician.

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Acronym first surfaced in late 2012 on his own imprint, Dimensional Exploration, putting out mind-bending music and working in the sphere of similar peers like Abdulla Rashim. A few months later he published a 12″ on Rashim’s newly found label and plat..View the full artist profile